Image pickup device and camera system

摘要

Provided are an image pickup device and a camera system that are capable of detecting an extremely small signal from a pixel or one photon signal with low noise and high precision at high speed, and are capable of performing various kinds of high-performance shooting by increasing a frame rate with use of this. Each sense circuit includes a comparator configured to compare an output signal from a pixel with a reference signal, and when signal detection is performed, a charge allowing a first pixel signal output from a selected pixel to be cancelled out is held in one or both of input sections of the comparator, an independent offset bias for each comparator is applied to one of the input sections of the comparator to cancel out an offset of the comparator, and a digital decision on intensity of light incident on the pixel is performed by comparing a reference signal changing in steps with a second pixel signal output from the selected pixel.

主权项

1. An image pickup device comprising:
a pixel array section including a plurality of pixels arranged in an array, each of the pixels including a photoelectric conversion device, a storage section configured to accumulate a charge generated by photoelectric conversion, and an amplifier device configured to output the accumulated charge as an electrical signal, each of the pixels configured to output an electrical signal to an output signal line in response to photon incidence; a sense circuit section including sense circuits, each of the sense circuits configured to perform a process of detecting a pixel signal from the pixel; and a drive section configured to perform reading of a first pixel signal and reading of a second pixel signal from a selected pixel in reading, wherein the first pixel signal and the second pixel signal are one and the other of a reset signal of a pixel corresponding to a no-signal accumulation state and an accumulation signal reflecting an accumulated charge generated by photoelectric conversion, in the sense circuit section, each of the sense circuits includes a comparator configured to compare an output signal from the pixel with a reference signal, and when signal detection is performed, a charge allowing the first pixel signal output from the selected pixel to be cancelled out is held in one or both of input sections of the comparator, an independent offset bias for each comparator is applied to one of the input sections of the comparator to cancel out an offset of the comparator, and a digital decision on intensity of light incident on the pixel is performed by comparing a reference signal changing in steps with the second pixel signal output from the selected pixel.